


The Gut-Wrenching Smell Of Apple Pie

by momstiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A lot of pie jokes too, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Awkward Flirting, Bakery Shop Owner Dean Winchester, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Bookstore Owner Castiel, Digital Art, First Dates, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, M/M, Pick-Up Lines, Pie, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, like a lot of it, oh and there's a chalkboard cas hates with a burning passion, spnreversebang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 17:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momstiel/pseuds/momstiel
Summary: Never in a million years would Castiel have thought he’d come to dislike the smell of apple pie. Ultimately, it was all Dean Winchester’s fault. If Cas didn’t have to walk into his bookstore every single day to be greeted by the familiar scent, the very reminder of their current arrangement, maybe he’d enjoy it a bit more. However, that wasn’t the case, and Cas was starting to think that never would be.\ - \ - \





	The Gut-Wrenching Smell Of Apple Pie

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to thank my amazing partner, marietwist / sketchydean ! She was right with the game, and I incredibly appreciated all of her support. In addition, she created a beautiful photo that led to a lot of plot bunnies! It was such of a treat working with her, and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. The BEAUTIFUL piece of art at the beginning was made by her! 100%. 
> 
> You can find her on tumblr as sketchydean! (Soon I'll post the link to her direct post! <3) 
> 
> I'd also like to thank my beta, SalParadiseLost (both on ao3 and tumblr)! She dealt with my crappy, 3am writing and was able to make it far more coherent! She did such of an amazing job! <3 Go check her out!

Never in a million years would Castiel have thought he’d come to dislike the smell of apple pie. Ultimately, it was all Dean Winchester’s fault. If Cas didn’t have to walk into his bookstore every single day to be greeted by the familiar scent, the very reminder of their current arrangement, maybe he’d enjoy it a bit more. However, that wasn’t the case, and Cas was starting to think that never would be.

 

Castiel Novak’s family had owned the bookstore for generations, which you think would offer it a certain amount of prosperity. Alas, ‘ _Novak’s’_ wasn’t doing all that well. In this brave new world, people preferred e-books, Kindles, and other electronic devices that could provide them with reading material. Business wasn’t booming lately, and desperate times called for desperate measures. He was pushed into renting half of the building to another business.

 

That’s how he met Dean Winchester, the owner of ‘Piesexual Bakery’’ _._ Winchester’s bakery was the only decent application out of the scarce selection. Cas fancied the idea of a bakery moreso that the wine shop that also applied. He knew from personal experience that drunk people and books did not mix.

 

* * *

 

“Don’t you think that’s going to turn some parents off? Oh, and I’m sure parents are enthusiastic about ‘sex’ being in the name.” Cas asked as he walked into the bakery for the very first time since Dean Winchester had redecorated the space. T’was the night before the opening day, and Castiel wanted to make sure that his renter was fully prepared.

 

He expected many things to be up when he walked into _Pisexual Bakery_ , none of them, though, were the distasteful sign hanging by the entrance. Dean looked up, temporarily stopping washing the counter off.  When he realized what Novak was pointing to, he smirked smugly. “Oh come on, you have to be a parent to enjoy that sign. It’s going to be a hit.”

 

Blue eyes fell on the sign that read ‘Well-behaved children welcome, the rest will be made into pies’. A tiny sigh escaped his lips, but he wasn’t about to argue it. Maybe Dean was right, it was a sense of humour only parents could indulge in. “I guess you could be right about that. Do you have everything in preparation for your official opening tomorrow, Mr. Winchester?”

 

Dean snorted a tiny bit. “No, nothing. I just thought I’d open shop to nothing.” He replied in his normal sarcastic way. Castiel was both turned off and intrigued by the way the Winchester talked to his boss. It was almost as though they were friends, and the sense of formality could be dropped. “Mr. Winchester continued completely unaware of the offense he’d caused,“But, seriously, I have a large assortments of pie, bread, crepes, and anything else a baked good lover could dream about.”

 

A tiny smile appeared on Cas’s face. “Very well. I bid you luck.” He responded, hoping that both businesses would become successful. Regardless, there was the pressing fear lingering in Castiel’s chest as he thought about Dean’s store becoming a hit and his own shop not being able to reap the benefits.

 

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean responded before putting all of his attention back into his cleaning. The landlord nodded and made his exit into the black abyss of the night. On his way to the car, he nearly tripped over the chalkboard Winchester had placed in front of his store. _Damn thing,_ he thought.

 

* * *

 

“Congratulations.” Sam said as he approached the counter to order a slice of apple pie. Although he loved his older brother, he still had doubts that Dean would be able to pursue his dreams. The Winchesters grown up tied to their family’s mechanic business, and their father desired to have one of them take ownership. It came as a wave of shock across the whole family when Dean broke free from the car industry to chase after his real aspiration. “You did it,” Sam smiled.

 

Dean stood on the other side of the counter, flour all over his shirt and face. Despite the mess, his grin being the most prominent feature. There was a twinkle of surprise in his eyes upon seeing Sam, his little brother who moved away to Stanford months earlier. “Thanks, Sammy… You know, I’m kinda surprised you’re here. Dad probably has a stick up his ass still about the whole bake shop ideal, and you don’t really care about good tasting food, so I assumed I wouldn’t see any family here, especially not on the opening day.”

 

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes. “Just because I don’t crave baked goods like you doesn’t mean that I don’t ‘care about good tasting food’. I mean, I am buying a pie after all.” He motioned, hastily getting out his wallet. A line was forming behind him, and he didn’t want them to have to wait any longer. “And just, ignore dad. He’ll eventually get over it.”

 

Grabbing a slice of pie from the freshly baked selection in the window, Dean plopped the container down on the counter. “Maybe if he’d taste the damned thing he’d understand,” he replied quickly, “And don’t worry about paying, it’s on the house, Sammy.”

 

Surprise, but abruptly putting his wallet back into his pocket. Sam nodded and took his order. “Thanks, Dean.”

 

Sam made his way past the crowd, deciding not to take up a customer’s table and heading out of the shop. He knew that Dean had been advertising his new business heavily, but he had never assumed he’d accumulate such of a following on the first day. There were swarms of hungry people waiting to taste the quality of the new bakery in town.

 

As he exited the shop, his eyes fell onto the building attached to the bakery. When Sam had originally pulled into the parking lot, he was so focused on the amount of cars and people he didn’t notice that his brother’s new business was right next to another one.

 

Interested, he walked over to it and realized it was a book store. Before he aimlessly wandering in, he checked twice to make sure that there weren’t any signs prohibiting food. Relieved when he saw none, he walked in and was greeted by a soothing silence. People were browsing the shelves and purchasing novels.

 

Sam began to peruse the store, always captivated by books - especially ones with a small price tag. Sure enough, the prices were low enough for his standards, and it wasn’t long before he was pulled into a bookish trance.

 

For much longer than he cared to admit, he was walking down the aisle, not realizing how many books he was stacking up until the weight started to slow him down. _Crap,_ he thought to himself once he realized he had been in the shop long time, and if he stayed much longer his brother’s pie would go ice-cold. Limiting himself to purchasing only four of the books he had picked out, the Winchester approached the register.

 

“Hello, is this all for you today?” a young man with blue eyes asked, taking all of the books and scanning them.

 

“Yes.” Sam confirmed, temporarily placing his pie container on the flat top of the counter.

 

Instantly, the worker stopped, ringing up a price for all of his novels. “Did you purchase the pie from the business next door?” He asked, eyes falling onto the baked good.

 

“Oh, I did. Actually, my brother is the owner.” He admitted, taking the bag that contained his receipt and all the new books.

 

“Dean Winchester?”

  
  
“Yep, that’s him.” he said turning on his heel to leave. “I’ve yet to taste his pie, but I’m sure it’ll be good.”

 

The cashier nodded in agreement. “I’ll need to get some after _Novak’s_ close.” He smiled a little, “Also, thank you for shopping at _Novak’s._ Have a good day.”

 

* * *

 

Maybe it wouldn’t have been a problem if he put up a ‘no food sign’ on the door, but by the time his shift was over, Castiel was starting to dislike the scent of apple pie lingering in his shop. It was making him hungry, and he wanted a taste to see if Dean’s creation was all that.

 

He closed shop for the day and headed outside to be greeted by the night sky. He bundled himself up in a jacket and then walked to the bakeshop next door. The “hours:” sign on the door said it was five minutes before closing time, and people were clearing the bakery. Not paying attention yet again, Castiel managed to trip over the chalkboard outside. He made a mental note to avoid it in the future,as he got up he read it silently.

 

_“ < \--- Pies _

_No Pies --- >” _

 

He frowned a tiny bit when he realized that the ‘no pies’ arrow was pointed directly at his shop. Castiel knew it was all fun and games, but he silently hoped it hadn’t hindered business that day.

 

A tiny bell rang overhead as he walked into the shop, knowing from the full parking lot earlier that the bakery must have been a booming success. “Mr. Winchester, I must taste some of your famous apple pie.” Cas said, going in and approaching him workers the at the counter. What is a worktable?

 

“You don’t have to be so formal, Cas.” Dean replied, looking up as he threw a dirty rag to the side. “Just call me Dean.” He insisted, a tiny smile on his face. “And you’ve got a slice coming up. I wasn’t going to brag, but uh, this is worth bragging about. I assure you that you’re about to get a piece of heaven in your mouth.”

 

Surprised by the Winchester’s warm opening, the Novak nodded and smiled a little bit. “So I’ve heard.”

 

An apple pie was already baked and sitting prettily in the window storage, so Dean effortlessly reached to pull one out. “For here or to go?”

 

“Since you’re closing in five minutes, to go.”

 

Dean nodded and placed the pie in a to-go box. Then, he handed it to Castiel in exchange for a few dollars. Interested in seeing what his landlord thought, he discreetly watched as the man looked at the slice and headed out.

 

Holding the pie close to his chest, Cas made his way out to his car and sat down in the driver’s seat. He didn’t bother starting the vehicle, instead opening the container and taking a bite of the pie. It was good, he had to give Dean that, but as he took bite after bite he realized that it was so much better than just ‘good’. The pie was homemade, bursting with flavor, and, at least in Cas’ opinion almost perfect.  

 

If that scent was going to be lingering in his shop now he’d never forgive Dean for placing such of a delicious tease so close yet so far from his work. The last thing he wanted to do was drool over baked goods when he was supposed to be working hard, far away mentally from any distractions. Deciding to wipe the thoughts from his mind, he directed his focus back to his car.

 

* * *

 

Against his will, Castiel’s fear came alive. For the next week, even after he placed up a ‘no food inside’ poster in the wall, the scent of apple pie was still lingering.The scent had mostly faded from inside of his business, but it was still the first thing he smelled when he entered and exited his shop.

 

Not only was it a delicious prompting to try to get him to spend all of his money on such of a futile thing, it was also a constant reminder of his current situation. He had sold off half of his building because his own business was failing. Fortunately, the new shop was attracting customers to his own, but Castiel just wished it hadn’t came to this. He wished that the bookstore was a flying hit like it used to be when he was a child. He ached for the old days, and, although Cas was a generally gentle person, the situation never failed to make him feel frustrated.

 

As Castiel headed in at the beginning of the morning, he couldn’t help, but spot the damn chalkboard that had caused him so much trouble. In these most recent days he had became wary of it, learning from his past mistakes. However, he was still taken aback when he saw it that day, something written on that he would have never expected. The first arrow pointed to Dean’s shop, and the second to his.

 

_“Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, Cherry Pie, Blueberry Pie, Etc…_

_ <\--- _

_Cutie Pie_

_\--- >” _

 

Cas froze, his thoughts instantly stopping as confusion washed through him. He scrunched his face and tilted his head to the side as he mentally read the sign over and over again. Was Dean, the worker next door whom he rarely talked to, hitting on him? As Castiel stood looking at the side, he only halfheartedly paid attention to the approaching group of teenage girls who snapped a few pictures of the sign before giggling and going into the bakery.

 

Before opening his shop, he decided to go over to _Pisexual Bakery_ and ask Dean what the board was about. He walked in, glad there was only a small line forming at the counter. Once it cleared up, he made his way to the front where Dean was waiting. “I saw the sign you placed outside of your business.” Castiel directly stated, causing Dean to jerk his head up, a playful expression on his face.  

 

“You saw it? What do you think? I think the customers will love it,” Dean admitted, pleased to see his landlord back so soon. “And I mean, it’s not a lie…”

 

Cas blinked, recognizing the other’s words as flirtation, but was confused why.  “Wait… what do you mean it is not a lie?”

 

“Wellll...” Dean dragged out, biting his lip. “I do sell a huge assortment of pies, and the man next door is a cutie-pie. Both are true facts.”

 

Cas was not one prone to blushing, but his cheeks turned a few shades darker. “Thank you for your flattery.” The business man muttered and he turned to leave . before Dean could say anything else. Castiel was flustered and felt a whirl of mixed emotions for the baker. He held his hands to his chest, his heart beating furiously. “No, it couldn’t be, he thought.” Their relationship was purely professional, but still the compliment had him racing. He shook his head, attempting to trash those thoughts. He inhaled and quickly went to his own store.

 

* * *

 

Although he had only moved into the town mere months ago, Dean had already became a regular at the local bar. He almost enjoyed beer as much as pie or cars, especially after a hard work day. Today was one of those days, and Dean was already in the bar, a few drinks in.

 

He wasn’t terribly drunk, but he sure wouldn’t trust himself in a business conference. However, even though he didn’t think he had drank that much, he questioned himself when he saw his landlord walk into the bar, ordering a drink.

 

In all of his nights being there, he never once saw Castiel Novak enter. Dean had pinned the other man as the anti-alcohol type, so this was a game-changer. He didn’t think he’d ever see Mr. Novak in a bar. With a face like that, maybe it was a positive, too? The Winchester wasn’t the type to believe in love at first sight, but he surely did believe in an attractive face when he saw one. Maybe, just maybe, he could break his former thought. “Hey, Castiel.” He called out, motioning to a seat next to him.

 

Caught like a deer in headlights, Cas froze when he heard his name being called, but relaxed when he noticed it was only Dean. His shoulders dropped, and he made his way over to sit in the seat claimed for him. “I never expected to see someone like you here,” Dean admitted.

 

Castiel brought the drink to his lips, listening to the other. He was still tense around him, deciding to forget about what happened that morning. “Well, neither did I. My brother, Balthazar, is an alcohol enthusiast and he was rather insistent on me trying ‘the world’s best flavor’ which apparently could be found in this drink.”

 

A hearty chuckle escaped from Dean’s lips. “Your brother is a wise man.” He praised, being familiar with Cas’s drink of choice and knowing it was a riot in a bottle.

 

The Novak smiled slightly, bringing on a tiny silence among the two. They drank, neither really knowing what to say and hoping the drink would kick in soon. It wasn’t until Castiel had drained his bottle that he decided to speak up. “You aren’t wrong… so… I’ve been meaning to say this… But your pie is really good, Dean.”

 

Surprised by the Cas finally addressing to him in a casual manner, the Winchester was thrown off guard for a few seconds but quickly straightened up. “Thank you. It’s a recipe passed down from my mother. She was the best when it came to cooking. Honestly.” He insisted.

 

“Well, be sure to compliment her for me.” Castiel said.

 

“She’s dead.” Dean responded, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “But uh, guess it won’t hurt because her pie was heavenly, and everyone knew it. She had a hell of a ton of compliments in her lifetime.” He reassured, drinking the last bit of beer in his cup.

 

“Oh… I-I’m sorry…” Cas babbled, slurring a tiny bit. “Did she inspire you to name the shop ‘ _Pisexual Bakery_ ’, too?” He asked mindlessly, realizing that Dean kept bringing up his mother.

 

Instantly Dean let out a laugh, shaking his head. “No, no, no. You see, I’m a bisexual that loves pie. Thought it’d be a pretty cool title. My brother and father weren’t overly impressed but eh, they don’t have any humor.”

 

Being more surprised than he really should have been, Cas blankly stared at Dean for solid seconds. “You’re bisexual?” He asked, knowing the term all too well since he was the same sexuality.

 

“You bet.” Dean confirmed, a tiny grin on his lips. “What about you? Do you swing both ways, one way, no way?”

 

“Both.” Castiel said under his breath, knowing that his family wasn’t all down for it, but they loved him regardless.

 

The Winchester almost fell out of his chair at the news. “Well, that means my attempts at flirting with you aren’t completely futile.”

 

Castiel laughed a tiny bit. “Just because I’m bisexual doesn’t mean I don’t have standards.” Not waiting for Dean’s response, knowing that it would be over the top, he playfully looked away. “Luckily for you, though, I can confirm that no, they are not futile. It’s nice getting compliments again.”

  


“From an attractive son of a bitch, too?” Dean asked, grinning a little bit.

 

“Definitely. That is the cherry on top of the cake.”

 

“Pie,” Dean quickly corrected, “Cherry on top of the _pie_.” Both men shared a tiny laugh and since they were both drunk, he decided to build the confidence to make the next move. “But how about this… tomorrow, after work, you come into my shop and I get you some pie on the house and we can hang out.”

 

Castiel considered the offer before nodding. Right now he didn’t give a flying crap if the scent of apple pie was a usual annoying presence. He did have interest in getting to know a man that seemed to show attraction towards him. Cas had been single for too long, and even though he wasn’t sure if Dean was going to lead to anything, he could only hope. Maybe just then that damn apple pie smell wouldn’t be a problem anymore. “It’s on my calendar, see you then.”

 

* * *

 

The next day flew by faster than Cas had originally anticipated, and he knew it was because he was excited to befriend the man next door. Even though he was previously nervous about his situation, maybe it wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. Maybe fate knew what it was doing when it brought him to accepting an invitation to the _Pisexual Bakery._

 

“So you’ve made it.” Dean exclaimed, a tiny bit of excitement in his voice. A part of him worried that Castiel would have been too drunk to remember. It wasn’t a date, but it still had the Winchester excited seeing the other man walk into his shop after hours.

 

Dean wasn’t standing behind his counter like usual, instead he was standing at a table set for two. Two slices of apple pie placed on the counter, along with a candle that lit up the whole shop. Rows of tables around them already had chairs stacked up on them, and it was dark outside. When Cas walked in, he chuckled a tiny bit. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a date.”

 

“No, no.” Dean corrected, watching as the man walked over to their table. “This is definitely not a date. Think of it as proof to show you that I am definitely capable of romantic things.”

 

Castiel looked a tiny bit amused, surprised by how hard Dean was going in with his flirting. “What makes you assume that I am a fan of romantic actions?”

 

“You own a bookstore full of romance novels, how am I supposed to believe that you aren’t into this shit?” Dean asked much to the other man’s surprise.

 

As he sat down and began to cut into the slice of pie, Castiel chuckled. “You’ve got me down to the period there. I do like romantic actions, and I do appreciate that you’ve set this all up. I mean, after all, thanks to you, my business is doing significantly better than I had originally assumed after renting a part of the building out. Another thing to thank you for,”

 

“Well, we’re kind of a power duplex.” Dean responded.

 

“Yeah, kind of like, feed your body and your mind here.” Castiel responded, causing the Winchester to playfully roll his eyes. “Anyways, I saw that your little chalkboard stunt with the pies worked. A lot of people are talking about it online.”

 

Dean smirked a tiny bit, finishing up his own slice of pie in no time flat. “That was the plan. I knew it’d bring some attention to both of our shops.” He admitted. “I think in the future we could really just merge our stores together.”

 

“Maybe…” Castiel shrugged, knowing that the bookstore had been in his family for generations and he didn’t know how he felt about merging it. As he finished up his pie, he wiped off his face and pushed back. “Thank you for the pie, it’s delicious as always.”

 

“No problem, Cas.” The baker replied, just glad to know that his goods were liked.

 

“When I get fat, I’m going to blame you.” Cas joked, standing up and pushing his chair in as Dean did the same. The baker winked, and  Castiel’s heart skipped a beat ,but decided against commenting on it.

 

* * *

 

For the next few weeks, Castiel felt himself becoming closer to Dean. They would regularly stop into each other’s shops, and their conversations left their stores. When they were at home, they’d stay up for hours talking like teenage sweethearts on the phone. Even one late night conversation let to a proposition, and in a matter of no time they were officially boyfriends.

 

Yet, even though a lot changed since they first met - their success rate or their relationship per say - but there was one thing that Castiel knew for sure never would. His distaste for the lingering scent of apple pie never quite went away. Instead of disliking it because it distracted him, or reminded him of his current business arrangements, he found a completely new reason to complain about it: _The no good scent was a constant reminder that he had to wait until after his shift to meet up with his boyfriend._

 


End file.
